Officially, Daniel Cormier is the UFC’s light-heavyweight champ, but the decorated fighter admits that as a competitor, he’s still wrestling with how he reclaimed the 205 crown.

Cormier’s reign as the light-heavyweight champ initially came to an end at UFC 214 in July, when Jon Jones took him out with a head kick and follow up punches. But, after Jones was flagged by USADA for the anabolic steroid Turinabol, the bout was overturned to a no-contest. Since the fight’s result no longer stands, the UFC reinstated Cormier as the champion (Jones has denied knowingly taking banned substances).

Recently Cormier was a guest on “The MMA Hour”, and “DC” had this to say about the circumstances, which have led to him becoming champion again (quotes via MMA Fighting):

“I am the champion, because if I didn’t get a fair shake, that’s not cool,” Cormier said. “But I know that I lost the last fight, so I have to fix that before I can feel completely secure in my title.”

“I am [champion] because the competition was unfair, but I guess it doesn’t count because I know what UFC 214 was,” Cormier said. “I experienced it myself. I was there, and in my mind I lost the competition. So it’s kind of an odd question right now under the circumstances. I have a bunch of people who really truly care for me and love me and my wife, my management, they’re very upset I didn’t get a fair shake, I guess, but they’re all easy to answer that question, but for me, the competitor, it is very difficult.”

If you’ve followed Cormier over the years, then these comments shouldn’t be shocking. Before he rematched Jones at UFC 214, Cormier repeatedly talked about his desire to avenge his 2015 loss to his rival. Further, after he was stopped by Jones in July, “DC” was visibly, emotionally devastated by the loss. So, there’s no denying that Cormier is an extremely competitive and driven person.